The North Minneapolis Greenway Project

The City of Minneapolis is exploring converting low-traffic streets into a greenway in north Minneapolis. The greenway would improve residents' access to a place to be physically active. Studies show that the closer people live to parks, the more likely they are to get exercise.

The project is in the community engagement phase, and is focused on informing residents about the project and collecting input to help define a new transportation and recreation corridor. The city and its partners completed the most recent round of engagement activities in late 2015, and a report summarizing the results can be found below.

No final decisions have been made about the proposed greenway, and this phase of gathering community input is important because it will inform future decisions. The City is also conducting a feasibility study, which will also help inform future decisions. A community-based Northside Greenway Council is leading outreach efforts, and a Technical Advisory Committee is overseeing the feasibility study. The Departments of Public Works and Health are collaborating on this project.

Project History

The idea for this project came from residents who wanted to see a greenway in north Minneapolis. An all-volunteer group called Twin Cities Greenways partnered with Bike Walk Twin Cities (a program of Transit for Livable Communities) in 2011 to collect input from residents about the concept, and found that residents supported the idea. In fall 2012, the City gathered community input on greenway route and design options. Based on that input, the City developed a map showing a proposed route and designs, and in 2013, residents completed surveys to provide input on the map. Based on the input, the City made some small changes to the proposed greenway map. In 2014, the City worked with many community based partners to collect additional input from a much larger number of people and found overall support for the idea of a greenway, along with some common questions and concerns. Much of this information can be found in the reports listed below.

In 2014, the City of Minneapolis also worked with a consultant, SRF Consulting, INC., to conduct additional technical studies of the greenway. The following report and appendices summarize their findings:

Important Resources

For more information and answers to frequently asked questions about the Northside Greenway project and the temporary greenway installation, please review this FAQ document, which was updated in June 2016 (PDF) (WORD)

Disability Parking Space application: Residents living on the 3000-3400 blocks of Irving Avenue North who are disabled and need parking in front of their homes can apply for a Disability Parking Space. More information is available on the City’s Parking Services website.

Disability Transfer Zone application: Residents on the 3500 block of Irving Avenue North who are disabled and need transportation access at the front of their homes can apply for a Disability Transfer Zone, which can be used to actively load and unload disabled residents and their equipment and personal items. The zone cannot be used for parking. Residents can apply online or by calling 311.

Street Use Permit application: Residents on the 3500 block of the temporary greenway who need short-term access to the front of their homes for construction, renovation, or moving vehicles must apply for a street use permit. More information is available on the City’s Development Review website.

Types of Greenways

Bike Boulevard Greenway

A bike boulevard greenway is a lower-volume, lower-speed street that has been designated as a bike route on a quiet street and is marked with large bicycle symbols with the text "BLVD". Select street intersections feature traffic calming measures to encourage lower traffic speeds.

Half & Half Greenway

A Half and Half greenway introduces a diagonal diversion into the intersections. On-street parking is clustered to one side for North-South streets. The off-street bike way traverses the intersection.

QUICK LINKS

Accessibility: For reasonable accommodations or alternative formats, contact 311. People who are deaf or hard of hearing can use a relay service to call 311 at 612-673-3000. TTY users can call 612-673-2157 or 612-673-2626.